Valley inventor markets his unique, healthy snack as cultural envoy from Mexico to the U.S.
WESLACO — If McAllen entrepreneur Oscar Torres’ goals come to fruition, another international bridge will emerge in the Rio Grande Valley.
Torres, president of the Weslaco-based Nopal Bros. snack company, hails from Monterrey, Mexico, but now calls himself “an adopted son of the Valley.” Trained as an industrial engineer, he eventually pursued a business graduate degree in Barcelona, Spain. There he enjoyed a course in marketing and became drawn to the idea of building a brand.
“A brand that goes beyond just trying to sell,” Torres said.
He eventually returned to Mexico and then relocated to the Valley, motivated by the size of the American market and family living in the area.
He chose to produce snacks made from the nopal — the leaves of Mexico’s prickly pear cactus. Torres created a hybrid of sorts between a snack and candy that sells for $1.49. He explained the vegetable’s significance to Mexican culture, calling it an “important part of the Mexican culture, history, tradition (and) folklore.”
More at http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/valley-inventor-markets-his-unique-healthy-snack-as-cultural-envoy/article_fb135d52-b155-11e3-b42b-0017a43b2370.html .
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